Communal Load Sharing of Miscarriage Experiences: Thematic Analysis of Social Media Community Support (Preprint)

Abstract

Background: Miscarriage is a common experience, affecting 15% of recognized pregnancies but societal ignorance and taboos often downplay the mental distress and personal impact following a miscarriage. Emerging stories on social media in which women express their miscarriage grief are breaking such taboos. Research in the area of online health communities (OHCs) is increasingly focused on studying how people share their health experiences on social media. However, a clear understanding on the social support involved in this type of sharing of health experiences is lacking.Objective: In this study, we explored the use of Instagram in sharing miscarriage experiences. The purpose is to create a better understanding of how social media provides support in expressing personal miscarriage experiences and how people engage with such posts. Methods:A longitudinal sample of 258 Instagram posts and 736 comments was collected over a six-month period after initial posts from six different women. This data was categorized and clustered through a thematic analysis.Results: Three themes were identified. Theme 1, Storytelling of emotional turmoil and grief after miscarriage, captures the complex emotions associated with miscarriage. Theme 2, Sharing positivity amidst miscarriage grief, highlights the importance of finding moments of joy and positivity in the midst of mental distress and pain. Theme 3, Mentioning personal medical information about miscarriage, focuses on sharing medical and practical advice. Conclusions:As an overarching theme for this social support phenomenon, we introduce the term communal load sharing to describe the therapeutic role of social media in helping women cope with miscarriage by providing a platform for sharing similar experiences, breaking social taboos, and fostering load sharing.